Plush
by shipposister
Summary: Pairings: SetoJou Somemention of YamiYugi. Warnings: Nonsexual kink involved: Plushophilia. Seto and Jou have more in common than they ever realized.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: OK…Here goes nothing. I have a few comments I find important that you might want to look over before you read. Both Jou and Seto are what are called 'Plushofiles.' It can be a sexual kink, but isn't always. I was chatting with a friend and we brought up a pretty big point. I don't want anyone to think that Seto is sitting in his office during his brake humping a small stuffed animal. He is not sexually attracted to the animal whatsoever, but emotionally. It is the same with Jou. Thanks. Now you can read.

"Hey Yug!" Katsuya Jonouchi shouted from his bed, where he was currently flipping through a magazine.

Yugi stepped into the room and gulped as dozens of pairs of bright blue orbs stared back at him. "Ummm…Sorry Jou, but could we please go somewhere else? I'm still not used to your…condition." He eyed one of the objects on Jou's headboard.

Jou rolled his eyes and sat up. "It ain't a condition and it ain't an illness. It's an obsession. And it's called Plushophilia. I'm what's known as a Plushophile, or Plushie. That is because I have a love for a certain kind of stuffed animal. If I just loved all kinds of them, I would be a Plushaholic."

"I know that, but why dragons Jou? Especially ones with blue eyes! Someone might think you've got the hots for…Dare I say it…Kaiba!"

Jou grinned. "That's just stupid."

"Maybe so, but it's not impossible."

"Don't start talkin' ta me 'bout it bein' possible fer me ta form some kinda relationship with Kaiba. I might hurl. 'Sides, the only person Kaiba could love is himself."

"Oh…Why are you even lying down? You sick or something?"

"Yeah…I caught Blorch at the last convention."

"Blorch?"

"Yeah. It's kind of like the flu. Symptoms vary. It only seems to spread at Furry and Plushophilia conventions."

"Oh. That's…strange."

"Yeah…but it happens. Ah well, try not to worry too much about it. Let's go to the living room."

"No arguments here!"

When they got there, Jou dropped lazily into his favorite chair. "Still can't believe the stupid teacher paired me with Kaiba," Jou mumbled grumpily. "'snot fair. You got paired with someone yer comfy with. Especially with this topic."

Yugi giggled. "Yeah…I'm lucky I got Yami. We've been a couple for…gods…four months. Definitely comfy. 'Something you have in common with your partner.'"

"You're telling me you're lucky! You guys look exactly alike. So simple. What about me and Kaiba? What exactly do we have in common?"

"Well…let's brainstorm. You both have a younger sibling. You both have a rare dragon YuGiOh card. You are both really hard-headed. You both work hard to keep up good grades. You both-."

"Okay, Okay. Point taken. I'll try to make this work."

"There's my Jou."

As Kaiba stroked the soft fur of his plush puppy, he heard the door click and open. He pushed the small beanie-baby back into his desk and locked the drawer. Clicking out of the plushie chat-room he had been in, he turned his gaze to his visitor. "Hn. What do you want, Inu?"

Jou turned his gaze to the floor. "I-I waited 'till I knew ya'd be home. Much as I hate it, we gotta discuss our project."

"I have nothing in common with an Inu like you."

"That's what I thought too…Then Yug started brainstorming with me. We both have younger sibs, we both are really hard-headed, we both have rare dragon cards, and we both work hard at our grades."

"Hmmm…I suppose those facts are true." Seto leaned back in his chair, his icy look replaced with one of great thought. "We both…have painful pasts, we both have an interest in vehicles, and we both nearly match Motou's dueling skill."

"See! Now all we gotta do is pick one!"

"Hn…We can do that tomorrow, Inu. I still have work to get done."

"All right, but that will give us only a week to prepare our presentation and report."

"I will write the report, and you will make a presentation. It will be easier, faster and less painful for us to do it that way."

"Fine," Jou snapped brusquely, shutting the door angrily behind him.

After Jou had left, Seto took his plush puppy back out.Stroking the velvet fur again, Seto wiped away a tear. His puppy seriously didn't care. His puppy hated him.

When Jou walked into the kitchen the next morning to grab a quick breakfast, he was shocked to find his father knelt down in front of the fridge, digging fervently through its contents. Looking around, Jou saw a gift sitting on the table, along with a card. Jou could barely make out the words, 'Happy Birthday Jou!' on the envelope.

'Today's my birthday?' Jou checked through his mental calendar. 'Sure as hell; January 25th. And dad remembered before me! Maybe he really is trying to turn this thing around!' The thought made Jou's heart bubble up with joy.

He quietly tiptoed back out of the kitchen and up to his bedroom where he climbed back into his bed. He would wait for his dad to call him. His dad was finally trying to work things out, and Jou sure as hell wasn't about to fuck it up.

He only had to wait for about ten minutes.

"Hey! Boy! Git down here!"

"Comin' Dad!"

As Jou thudded down the stairs, he caught a whiff of burnt toast and burnt bacon. When he got to the kitchen, the blonde saw that the scrambled eggs were still runny.

It made his heart positively soar.

"Happy birthday, boy." His father stood at the other end of the table, watching his son. "I know the food ain't great, but-."

"It's perfect, Dad. Just perfect." The blonde stepped around the table and gave his dad a brief hug. "I love ya, Dad. Very much."

"Errm…Yeah. Yer not so bad yerself, boy." His dad patted the teen awkwardly on the back, and then cleared his throat. "Ahem…I got ya somethin'...It ain't much, but…" He didn't finish the sentence, but held out a badly wrapped gift and a card.

Jou carefully opened the card, making sure not to rip the envelope, and read:

Son,

You are the light of my life. You are the thing that keeps me going every day.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

Dad

Jou offered his dad a watery smile and threw his arms around the man in a bear-hug. After a moment's hesitation, his dad returned the hug.

When they parted, the older man looked down at the gift on the table. "Well…Open it, already."

Jou opened the package as carefully as he had the card. There was no way he was going to risk damage to any of these precious mementos.As the packaging came away, a leather shoulder-pack was left in its wake. It was all brown, and, printed on the flap that covered the front was the word 'Jonouchi' written in pretty gold script.

"I hope ya ain't embarrassed ta wear the name. Ya had ta have at least seven letters and I know ya don't like 'Katsuya', so-."

Jou cut his father off with another huge hug. "Never, Dad," he whispered. "I'd never be embarrassed to wear this name. I'm proud. I want you to remember that, Dad. I'm proud to wear your name."

His dad smiled, and then released his son. "Eat yer breakfast, boy."

Jou settled down and ate the burnt toast and bacon. He could even stand the runny eggs. When he finished he stood and took his dishes to the sink, intending to wash them.

"Don' worry 'bout it, boy. I'll get 'em. You go on up and dressed and ready for school."

Jou smiled and ran upstairs. After quickly showering and getting dressed, Jou transferred his school-books from his tattered, old backpack to his new one.

Going back downstairs, he gave his dad a good-bye hug and ran out the door, shouting behind him, "Later dad! Love you!"

Not expecting a reply, he blinked in surprise as, just as he was shutting the door, his father's gruff voice reached his ears. "See ya, boy. You too."

He couldn't resist the smile that curled across his lips. Or that the smile remained there through the entire walk to school.

When Yugi got to school, he saw Jou standing at his locker, waiting. "Hey, Jou! What's up?"

"Nothin'…Jus' got here early. I didn' have ta do any o' my normal chores this mornin'."

"Ah…Okay. See you in his-." Yugi eyes landed on Jou' leather shoulder-pack. "Wow! Where'd you get that pack?"

Jou smiled widely. "My dad. My dad gave it to me for my birthday this morning."

"Oh! Jou, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!" Yugi traced his small index finger over the golden name. "It's beautiful, Man. Brown and gold-gold hair, brown eyes. Perfect!"

"Thanks, Yug. Well…there's da bell. Gotta git ta class." Jou turned and strolled toward his Human Relations Class. The class that he shared with Kaiba.When he got to class, the blonde carefully placed his precious new pack on his desk and wiped off a smudge that had appeared on the 'c' in his name.

The first thirty minutes of the class were long and boring, as they usually were. Jou dozed off three times, had four different daydreams, and stroked the white dragon hidden in his brand new pack on seven different occasions. The last half-hour, however, was different. Everyone was told to pair off into their groups for their projects. They would be working on their 'in common' assignments

Jou had just settled down next to Seto and had pulled out the list he'd made of things that they could write about, when the brunette's beeper went off to the annoyingly loud tune of 'Halleluiah'. Seto gritted his teeth and stood up. Strolling toward the teacher, he silenced the noise.After a few words of explanation from Seto and a frustrated gesture from the teacher, the icy CEO was gone.

Jou sighed and looked around himself. Everyone else in the room was having a grand old time. The teacher had put his students with people he knew would enjoy working together. Everyone except for Seto and Jou. The teacher had put them together for an obvious reason: they hated each other. The young teen didn't know why, but the asshole 'sensei' must have hated them.

At the front of the classroom, the so-called 'asshole sensei' was watching the young teen. Jou was scowling down at his desk, his thoughts obvious to an observant onlooker.

"You can't keep on thinking like that, Jou," he whispered. "You'll never figure it out." The teacher was an activist against prejudice, and he was hopeful that putting two Plushophiles together would get some good results. On several occasions, he had seen Kaiba stroking a little, golden puppy and Jonouchi doing the same with a beautiful, white dragon. The two teens had very few things in common, apart from that, and he had hoped that since they were both hard-headed and strong-willed, they wouldn't be scared to write about it. But if they couldn't get along enough to figure it out, then he would probably end up with some half-assed report on their younger siblings or a duel-monsters card.

When Jou saw the brown leather briefcase sitting on the desk next to him, the blonde let out a hissing sigh.'Great…now the asshole will expect me to retrieve it for him. I can just see him. 'Oh Good. The Inu knows how to fetch.' Asshole.'

At the end of class, Jou took hold of the briefcase when he stood up. 'Damn! This thing is heavy! What da hell does he have in here?' Deciding he would ask the teacher the question that had been swirling around in his mind for the past two days, Jou waited until everyone had left before approaching his Sensei. "Sensei…Why did you pair me up with Kaiba?" he asked. The blonde was known for being straightforward. There was no point in being secretive or sneaky, from his point of view.

"Ohayo, Jou. I saw your name on the billboard earlier. Happy birthday."

"Domo Arigato, Sensei. But you didn't answer my question. Why did you pair us up?"

"Hmmm…You two are quite alike. There is one thing in particular that I'm hoping you will write about."

"What's that, sensei?" Jou asked, intrigued. What was this teacher getting at?

Instead of answering, the teacher turned his head toward the briefcase. "I wonder what secrets you could find out about Mr. Kaiba in there…" With a noise somewhere between frustration and bewilderment, Jou turned and stomped out of the classroom. "Nice shoulder-pack by the way…" Jou caught the random phrase about ten steps from the door

'Jesus Christ…Sometimes I'd swear that teacher isn't all there,' Jou thought bemusedly as he tramped down the hall.

By the end of the day, Jou had decided that the briefcase was just too damned heavy to walk all the way to the Kaiba Mansion, so he took the bus instead. As the bus rumbled along at an agonizingly slow pace, Jou found himself more and more tempted to find out just why Kaiba's briefcase weighed a ton. Finally, his curiosity became too much to bear. Looking at the combination lock, he thought of possible codes. 'Hmmm…his birthday? 10/25/80. He keyed this in and heard no satisfying click to tell him he had gotten it. "Ok…Mokie's birthday? 07/07/90.' After typing this in and still not unlocking it, he nearly gave up. Then it hit him. "Blue Eyes' numbers! Eight stars, 3000 attack points, and 2500 Defense Points! 08/30/25!" When the lock sprang open, Jou gave an impish grin. 'And Kaiba calls me stupid? That code is way too simple.'

As he rummaged through the numerous stacks of papers, he found nothing of interest, and nothing to make the case as heavy as it was. It was a simple briefcase. Nothing more, nothing less. Jou could admire the interior though. Running his hand over the velvet cloth that lined the inner walls, he felt his hand hit something hard. Pulling back the small lip of maroon cloth, he revealed a zipper. Unzipping the pocket, he pulled out two things: a small, plush beanie baby golden puppy and a remarkably thin white laptop. The chassis was about as thick as a ! credit card. Printed across the top of the laptop in bold black lettering was the word 'PLUSH.'

"Plush? What is that supposed to mean-?" His question was cut off by a sudden thought. 'No way. Not a chance. Not a snowballs hope in hell."

When the laptop had booted, Jou froze. He had only three icons on his desktop: 'Internet Explorer', 'My Documents', and something called 'Plushchat Documents'.Skipping over Explorer and My Documents, Jou opened Plushchat

"No fucking way."


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Plush

Author: Shippo-chan

Rating: R

Pairing(s): Jou/Seto Yami/Yugi

Beta: Jennie B. glomp

Spoilers: none

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Final world count: 3,808

Summary: Seto and Jou have more in common than they ever realized.

"Kaiba!" Even with a door-stopper, the door to Seto's private office made an impressive noise when Jou threw it open. "What da hell did ya think you were doin'? Do ya know jus' how much dis would have damaged yer rep if anyone but me had found it?"

Seto quirked an eyebrow. "First of all, Inu, stop shouting. You'll send the housekeepers into a panic attack if you keep yelling. Second, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't be stupid Kaiba! You should not be carrying this shit around with you!" The briefcase skittered across his desk, followed by a beanie-baby and a snow-white laptop.

Seto's face showed a multitude of colors. Beginning with bright red, then fading to chalk white. It finally settled around a shade of dark puce. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words emerged. When he finally spoke, it was with his usual composure: calm, cool, and deadly. "You must have a death wish to Inu, to get into my things."

"Oh, go fuck yourself, Kaiba," Jou scowled as he dropped into a chair. "Besides, I found something we have in common."

"Hnnn…What could you have possibly found?" Seto leaned back in his chair after putting away the incriminating evidence of his odd kink.

Jou chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment before finally pulling his pack into his lap and rummaging through it. He pulled something out and stared at it before placing it on the desk. The small, white dragon stared up at the CEO with bright blue eyes. Seto turned his gaze from the beanie-baby to the blonde's nervous brown eyes.

"Are you saying that you're...?" Seto left the question unasked.

Jou fidgeted slightly under the brunette's disbelieving stare. "Well…Yeah. I mean…Yeah." Jou faltered.

"And now you honestly believe that I am going to write a report about this so that everyone can think that I sit in my room and hump a stuffed animal? No thanks, Inu. Not going to happen."

Jou snorted. "Knew ya'd be scared, Kaiba. But, I guess that's just how you are. Some people can't help it…"

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Some people, like you, can't help but worry about how people think of them. Even though most people already think you're an asshole."

Seto pursed his lips. "I'm not worried about that, Inu. I'm more worried about the nightmares I'll have when the images of humping my plushie start appearing in my mind

"Ah. Now that makes sense."

"So we've determined that I am not scared."

"I guess. You'd be embarrassed, though."

"Yes. That, at least, is true." Seto leaned forward and placed his elbows on his desk, fingertips connected. "I, unlike you, have a reputation to protect. I don't want this to get out. What will it take for you to keep this a secret?"

"Kaiba…I don't believe in blackmail. I believe that an enemy's secret is just as important as a friend's. I'm not sure if you're an enemy, Seto, but I won't tell your secret."

Kaiba smirked and stood up. Coming around the desk, he sat down on it, across from Jou. A position of power. "Thank you. At least you are an honest Inu, if not a bright one."

"I know you ain't callin' me stupid, Kaiba. Especially with that code for your briefcase."

"What? That code…how did you know?"

"Blue eyes numbers. 08/25/30. It was really simple Seto. So predictable

"Those are the correct numbers, Jou, but not for the correct reasons. I was eight when my parents died. My mother was twenty-five and my father was thirty. I never realized that the two were the same."

Jou blinked. "Well…ya might think of changin' it. They are the same."

"I'll do that."

"I still ain't stupid, ya know."

"Hnn…" was Seto's only reply.

"Back the hell off, Kaiba." Jou gave the brunette a shove and watched him go back around his desk. "You've been an asshole ever since we got put on this stupid assignment, and I wanna know why!"

"I'm always an asshole, from your point of view."

"Not like this, you ain't. Usually, ya make one snide remark and leave me alone. What's up with you?"

Seto smiled self-mockingly. "Well…I suppose one good turn deserves another. As long as you don't blackmail me, I'll leave you alone." He held out a hand. "Deal?"

Jou shook his head. "No deal. I won't blackmail you, but I'll convince you that we should write our report on being Plushophiles."

"I somehow doubt that, Jou. But feel free to try."

"You can count on it. First of all, I think our teacher was hoping for us to write about this, because when I asked him why he paired us up, he said that he was hoping we'd write about a certain topic. And I don't think he'll give us an A otherwise."

"How could he have possibly known?"

"I dunno…he's probably really observant or somethin'."

"Hnnn…I'll take a B."

"Also, someone's bound to find out eventually. One way or another. And if you're bein' so secretive about it, they're gonna be even more inclined to believe you're sexually involved with an animal."

"How could anyone possibly find out?"

"I did."

"You're too nosy."

"Yes, but I'm not the only nosy person on Earth."

"I still don't want to let this get out."

"Okay…then let's continue. How many people have you met in Plushie Chat who've complained about all the prejudice against them?"

"Dozens."

"This may, we might be able to lessen prejudice at our school. Not just against Plushophiles or Furries, but other groups, too. Colored people, foreign people, different religions, gays…"

"And how would we do that?" Seto asked, now fully intrigued. Being gay himself, he personally hated how people treated them.

"Well, think about it! You're a genius, right? We could lean our entire presentation and report toward prejudice and how most of the things people believe are either wrong or right." Jou spoke slowly, giving each word time to sink in. Kaiba was obviously interested, and Jou hoped he would turn soon. He was running out of reasons.

"Hmmm…I'm somewhat of an activist against prejudice, Jou. I grew up with no parents. Do you now how many people think orphans are lower on the scale than them?"

"No…That's just wrong, Seto. No one's lower than anyone else unless they put themselves there." Jou gave the other boy a meaningful look. "So…Can we write our report on Plushophiles?"

"Fine. But, I am not writing it alone. It would be too much to bear."

"Then we'll write it together…Tomorrow."

"Fine."

As Jou stood to leave, he looked back over his shoulder, deciding to test the waters. "Ya know what Kaiba?" he asked.

"What?"

"I think we could actually be friends." Not giving the other boy time to respond, the blond quickly shut the door behind him. Quickly exiting the mansion, Jou let out a sigh of relief. It had been harder than he had originally thought it would be to get that damned CEO to agree with him. But, it was worth it. He was tired of keeping his obsession a secret from nearly everyone. Strolling down the sidewalk, Jou realized with a shock that he had left his plushie in the office. Pausing in mid-step, the blonde considered going back for it. Then, deciding Seto would return it the next day, he continued on his way toward the road.

As Seto strolled through the schoolyard at lunch the next day, he looked down at the small item cradled in his palm. The dragon's blue eyes looked up at him, shiny with the polish Seto had so carefully applied. The tail curled around Seto's fingers and the front paws were positioned just at the base of his hand. The fur was clean after its thorough wash. Giving the stuffed animal a small squeeze, he turned toward the bench where the Yugi Tachi was having an intense conversation.

It was Jonouchi's lilting voice that reached his ears. "The prick! Then I say, 'Back the hell off! I wanna know why you're bein' an asshole!' An all he says is, 'I'm always an asshole, from your point of view.'

Seto had heard enough. Turning on his heel, he threw the carefully cleaned plushie into the dirt. He felt angry and hurt – he had actually believed Jounouchi's promise to keep his secret, but obviously the blonde hadn't been serious. Lost in his own thoughts of this betrayal, he was oblivious to Jou's pained calling of his name.

There ya go!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Plush 3/3  
Author: Shippo-chan  
Rating: R  
Pairing(s): Jou/Seto Yami/Yugi  
Beta: Jennie B. glomp  
Spoilers: none  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything  
Final world count: 5,513  
Summary: Seto and Jou have more in common than they ever realized.

"Hey guys!" Jou's voice rang out to his friends, who were currently sitting on a bench in the school yard, mumbling miserably to each other. "How's it goin'?"

"Miserable," Yugi stated.

"Terrible," agreed Yami.

"Horrible," Otogi mumled.

"All of the above," Honda finished.

"Why?" Jou asked, his chipper voice intentionally annoying.

"Well," Yugi started. "Yami and I decided we aren't going to do our 'in common' assignment on how we look alike, and now we're having trouble thinking of something else…"

"Well, that's too simple, Yug! Duel Monsters!" Jou dropped his bag on the bench and sat down between Otogi and Yugi. Turning to Otogi and Honda, he asked, "What about you guys?"

"Same thing…" Honda mumbled. "Except that we don't even have the similar faces to fall back on."

"You both like to eat a lot, right?" Jou asked, having eaten with the two before. Their unquenchable hunger outdid even his!

"Yeah! We do, don't we?" Otogi smiled at his boyfriend.

Yugi gave the blonde an encouraging pat on the back. "If we were having this much trouble, then I can't imagine how hard this it for you! You've got to work with Kaiba!"

Jou flashed his friend one of his signature smiles. "Actually, we have more in common than I thought. He's not so much of an asshole when he's not obsessing over trying to figure out a way to beat Yugi in Duel Monsters."

The comment took the Yugi Tachi by surprise. Four pairs of eyebrows shot up and Honda stammered, "D-dude! What exactly happened at his house yesterday? Did you hit your head? Hard?"

"Naw…I jus'…I dunno…got ta know him better, that's all!"

"Jou…" Yami searched the blonde's face, looking for any sign of why he was talking like this. He came up with nothing.

"Oh Kami…" A sudden thought struck Yugi. "You didn't…I mean, you couldn't have…" He looked to Yami for help, and when none was offered, Yugi continued, "Did you…I mean, I don't think you did, but I'm just asking…Did you sleep with him?"

Jou's eyes grew large and he blinked in shocked disbelief. "No! Of course not! Don' be stupid!"

"Okay, Okay! I was only asking!" Yugi replied as he scooted back against his Yami.

"Well, anyway, like I was saying, he ain't so bad."

"Come on man! Tell us what happened." Honda stared intently at his friend, waiting for the blonde to get on with his story. Obviously, Honda wasn't the only curious one – the blonde looked up to see four sets of eyes eagerly trained on him, his friends hanging on his every word.

"Well…It's kinda a secret…I mean, he has a secret and I promised I wouldn't tell…but I'll tell ya what I can. "So anyway, I go in, and I'm mad at him. I sit down in his office, and we start talkin'…" The blonde proceeded to tell them about his meeting with Seto from the day before, deliberately skipping the parts about Plushophiles and their secret, shared obsession. Continuing on with his tale, Jou said, "And then I say, 'They're da same, so ya might think of changin'it.' And he says, 'I'll do that,' and gives me that look. Then I say-."

"Wait," Duke interrupted, cutting the ranting teen off. "What do you mean 'that look?'

"Oh, you know! Da Kaiba look…" Jou twisted his face into an eerily Kaiba-like expression; his lips were pulled up on the left side and he had his right-eyebrow quirked, as though he was staring at something utterly detestable

"Ah…that look."

"Alright then," Jou continues. "So he gives me that look and then I say, 'I still ain't stupid, ya know,' and all he can say in return is 'Hnnn…' The prick! Then I say, 'Back the hell off! I wanna know why you're bein' an asshole!' An all he says is, 'I'm always an asshole, from your point of view.'" When he heard something hit the ground behind him, the blonde turned just in time to see Kaiba disappearing around the corner, his shoulders hunched in defeat. "Seto! SETO!" he called, but the teen's pained cry never reached the broken-hearted CEO.

Rushing forward, Jou noticed a small white object lying on the ground ahead of him. Scooping it up without breaking stride, he turned the corner and saw Kaiba slumped down on the ground, his head in buried in his hands. Jou's heart wrenched when he saw the normally commanding CEO sitting there in such an uncharacteristic, vulnerable manner.

"S-Seto? How much did you hear?" Jou asked as he cautiously moved forward and sat down next to the brunette.

"I heard enough, didn't I?" The CEO looked up at Jou with a mix of misery and anger on his face. "I'm a prick and an asshole that trusted you to keep a secret."

Jou leaned back against the wall and sighed. "Ya know what, Dragon? You're a genius and a CEO and all, but you're way too stupid sometimes."

"W-what? You Inu! You insult me and break my trust, then have the nerve to call me stupid?"

"Please, Dragon. Stop. I'm not finished yet. You were stupid to think I would ever break a promise. You were a fool to think I would ever make fun of you or insult you. I was explaining last night's events to prove to them that you aren't an asshole. And I skipped over the parts about Plushophiles and Plushophilia." He caught Seto's face in his hand and stared at the brunette meaningfully. "And, I was stupid to talk about you behind your back. And for that, I'm sorry."

Seto gently placed his hand over the blonde's and moved it from his cheek to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on Jou's knuckles. Then, letting the soft hand drop from his grasp, Seto picked up the small dragon the other teen had dropped and placed it in his palm." There you go, Puppy. You got your dragon back."

Jou gave the plushie a small squeeze, and then slid it into his bag. Then, taking hold of Seto's face again, he brushed his lips softly over the other's. He pulled back, but then the blonde felt a gentle, but firm hand cup his neck and pull him closer, deepening the kiss. When they heard the clang of first-bell, the couple reluctantly pulled apart.

"W-what just happened, Seto?" Jou earnestly searched the other teen's face.

"I honestly have no idea," Seto whispered. "But whatever it was, I enjoyed it very much." Flashing a smile; not a smirk, but a smile, Seto stood and pulled Jou up beside him, lacing their fingers together. "Come on, Puppy. We'll be late for our Human Relations class."

Jou rolled his eyes and gave Seto's hand a gentle squeeze. "I guess you're right, Dragon," he sighed, allowing the taller teen to pull him into the school building.

When the two stepped into the classroom, there was a chorus of gasps, a few knowing smiles, a giddy giggle from Anzu and a shocked 'What the fuck!' from Honda. Looking down, the couple noted that their fingers were still entwined. Quickly parting, they exchanged a grin and took their seats at opposite ends of the room.

The teacher acknowledged the strange arrival with a nod. "Jonouchi, Kaiba, I'd like to see the two of you after class, please."

"Yes Sensei," the two chorused.

Halfway through the class, the students once again paired off to work on their projects. Once Seto and Jou were seated, the teacher sidled up to them.

"I'd like to observe you two today. I'm very interested in how your project might be coming along."

The two shared another look. This one said, 'We'll work on the presentation today in class.'

"Yes Sensei," they said again, and started to work.

"Do ya think we should make a poster board?" Jou asked the other teen, who shook his head.

"No. I think we can get the message through with just words."

"Yeah, I agree." Jou bent over his desk and wrote a few more sentences. "How's this one?" he asked, sitting back and gesturing to his paper. "I think there's somethin' awkward 'bout it."

"Yes, it sounds odd in my head, too. Try this…" Seto erased a few words and substituted them with others. "Better?"

"Yeah, very much. Thanks Drag-erm," Jou glanced at the teacher, "Thanks Seto."

A few minutes later, Seto sat up and looked at Jou as he gestured toward his own paper. "I think I overused my adjectives in this sentence."

"Well…I dunno 'bout that, but I know that word shouldn't be there." Jou erased a word on Seto's paper. "And that one…look better?"

"Mmmm hmmm. No problem, Pu-um Jou."

The teacher watched this go back and forth between the two boy for a while. He wanted desperately to know what they were writing, but it was obvious from their secrecy that they didn't want him to find out. It was almost magical to see them working together like this. The two of them were finally getting along! No, more than that: they seemed to be enjoying working together! After a few more minutes, he finally said, "Well, as it would seem that you two are getting along fine, and doing well on your project."

"Took ya twenty minutes ta figure that out?" Jou muttered bitterly under his breath, only to receive a sharp elbow in the side from the brunette.

"Yes Sensei," Seto replied politely. "You could say that we…worked out some issues that were standing in our way."

"I can see that, Mr. Kaiba. Carry on. I will observe another table for the remainder of the class."

"Yes Sensei."

Once the teacher had left, the two let out a synchronized sigh. "Finally!" Jou whispered. "I thought he'd never leave."

"Me either." Seto replied. "We'd better get back to work, if we want to get this done in on time."

"Yeah, I guess so," with another sigh Jou and Seto bent back over their work.

It was strange how a piece of cloth, some cotton, and beady glass eyes could entirely change two people.

OWARI

Well, there's my story! All that's left is the epilogue! I hope you enjoyed Plush.


	4. Epilogue

Title: Plush

Author: Shippo-chan

Rating: R

Pairing(s): Jou/Seto Yami/Yugi

Beta: Jennie B, Daisey glomp

Spoilers: none

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Final world count: 6,907

Summary: Seto and Jou have more in common than they ever realized.

"Come on, Dragon!" Jou leered at his lover. "If we don't get to class we'll have detent-," The clang of the late bell cut him off. "See? Now we'll have to stay after class."

"Why do you insist on worrying, Pup? It's just detention. One detention a year isn't going to keep you from an Ivy League Col-,"

"First of all, Dragon, I ain't goin to some Ivy League College. Second of all, I've been involved with different gangs since I was six. I quit all of 'em when I met Yug when I was a sophomore. In junior year, I tried to turn it around and change, but I still got in trouble, a lot. Now, since the beginnin' o' senior year, I've been late only once, and that's 'cause I was with you. Now you've gone and made me late again!"

"Relax, Puppy. You forget that we have Mr. Zurui. His name says it all. I don't think that that Sensei has given a single detention in his life. He doesn't need to. Mr. Zurui is as sly as a fox, and won't hesitate to keep something off of your record if he can make the situation suit him."

"Then what do you call what happened last time, when we stayed after class?"

"That little 'meeting' never went into our files, Pup. I'll bet on it."

Jou cocked his head slightly and met his boyfriend's gaze. "Why's that?"

"He probably didn't want the school board to know about the little favor we did him."

"Amen to that. It took a lot of guts to ask us."

"Yes. Who knew that our teacher had spent time picketing outside the Mini Mart?"

"I would've never taken the time."

"He really must be against prejudice."

"Well, I really wouldn't want to be turned down for a job just because the manager hates Wiccans."

"Me either."

"Well, at least you owned the company."

"But I didn't personally know the manager."

"Yeah, but I wish I hadn't," Jou grimaced. "Some of my father's former acquaintances are not people that I'd like to know." Jou finished his statement just as they reached the door.

Pulling the door open, he motioned for the blonde to go in first. "After you, Pup," he mumbled.

"Gee, thanks, Dragon. Just throw me to the wolves."

"Well, you are fresh meat…"

Jou strode into the classroom in his usual manner: tired eyes, slumped shoulders, and a frown set into his face. Kaiba sneered at the class as he usually did and strode to his desk. He dropped his suitcase on the hard, wood surface, the thud echoing through the suddenly silent room. The brunette knew exactly what was passing through the minds of his classmates.

"Boys, this is the second time this week." The teacher glared at the teens before continuing. "As I'm not in the mood to hand out a detention, you can present your 'in common' project first.

The two grimaced at each other across the room. Not only were they going to be laughed at for the rest of the year, they had to get laughed at before anyone else. Slumping to the front of the room, Seto grabbed the pack that Jou had insisted he use instead of a briefcase pack, and slid his hand inside to stroke the soft, golden fur of his puppy.

'No, not my puppy,' he thought. 'My puppy is a hundred times more beautiful.' Pulling his hand out of the pack, he dropped it on the floor next to Jou's.

"Ready, Pup?" the brunette whispered.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's just get this over with."

"Agreed."

Jou cleared his throat and spoke to the classroom. "Erm, Hi. I s'pose ya'll know our names, so we'll just skip that part." There was a low rumble of amusement. "Um, yeah…We originally wrote down some sentences for our presentation, but then we scrapped 'em and decided it'd be better if it wasn't rehearsed."

'Well, we have them interested,' Seto thought. 'I wonder how long it will be before that interest turns to amusement.'

Jou gave him a nod and they both leaned over to their packs and pulled out their plushies. Setting the small stuffed animals on the empty desk in front of them, the couple stepped back. It was now the taller teen's turn to speak.

"Ummm…This is one of the very few things we have in common.

This time the laughter wasn't a low rumbling, but a large outburst, echoing and filling the room. It was only stopped by the repeated rap of the Sensei's ruler on his desk. When the message finally got through and the laughter subsided, Mr. Zurui gave his class a stern glare and stated fiercely, "I will not have this in my classroom. Do any of you realize the courage it took to get up here and show you these dolls? Mr. Kaiba and Mr. Jonouchi probably have more willpower than all of you combined. I will not accept, under any circumstances, prejudice in my classroom. You students would be lucky if any of you got out of this classroom today without a detention slip!" Satisfied, the teacher sat back down and returned the ruler that he'd been brandishing at his students to his desk. Then, turning to the thoroughly shocked teens standing at the front of his room, he said politely and evenly, "Please continue, boys."

The couple stared at each other in stunned silence for a few minutes before Seto stammered on, deciding to pick up on Mr. Zurui's lead. "E-erm…W-we are both P-Plushophiles, and we have an obsession called Plushophilia. We are both obsessed with a single stuffed animal. For me, it's a small, golden dog. For Jou, it's a white dragon with blue eyes."

"Yeah, and there's a lot o' prejudice against Plushophilia. We are a form of Furry. I s'pose you can guess what those are. Well, there are some people who get enjoyment out of…well, I don't know 'zactly how ta put this…they enjoy…having sexual intercourse with their animal." Before the class could start laughing again, Jou continued. "We are not that involved with our stuffed animals. Seto and I simply feel a connection to our animals and enjoy owning them."

A single laugh resounded through the room, followed by two soft 'thuds' and a pained 'Itaii!' Glancing over, Jou noticed that Oroka was grasping both shins in pain, and that Yugi and Honda, the students who had the bad luck of being seated on either side of him, appeared unusually innocent. Giving a snort the blonde continued. "Yet most of the prejudice seems to be from not understanding the obsession…"

The two continued for about ten minutes before they were satisfied that they'd gotten the message through. 'Funny,' Jou thought. 'Most speeches that last more than a few minutes have at least two people snoring, but I can't see a single dazed look.'

Scooping up his plushie, he slid it into his shoulder pack and turned to return to his desk, only to whirl back toward Seto, who was currently redoing the latch on his own pack.

'Why the hell not?' the blonde thought. 'I'm already going to be a laughingstock.' Striding forward, he wrapped his arms around the brunette's neck, twining them his hands in his Seto's hair. After planting a firm kiss on his lover's cheek, he whispered, just loud enough for the front row to hear, "You did great, Dragon. I told ya we'd get through this."

Flashing his blushing lover a grin, Jou headed to his seat, sighing in satisfaction at the thought of not only owning his precious plushie, but his very own living dragon as well.

And there's the end of my story! I hope you enjoyed it! Jennie was my beta for the first three chapters, and I'd like to say thanks and send her a GLOMP, and, as Jennie-sama was knee deep in other last-minute chappies, the magnificent Daisey-bunny-sama offered to take over this epilogue, so I'm gonna say thank you to her as well and send her a GLOMP as well! Thanks tons, you two!


End file.
